RESIDENTIAL
ICF can be used in a multitude of building applications including brick and stucco. In residential neighborhoods, ICF homes are built on slab foundations like any other stick built home.Once they are finished they look and feel like any other home, but come with many more benefits.
Residential Applications:
PILING HOMES
On the coast where flooding is a potential hazard and building codes require, ICF homes are easily built on pilings. We do this by building an elevated slab over the piles or form and pour concrete beams to set conventional wood floor trusses and support the ICF walls.
SAFE ROOMS
In some cases, where the ultimate strength of concrete is desired, we can pour the roof out of solid reinforced concrete! When additional security and safe refuge is wanted, a Safe Room can be built inside the home. This is done by pouring four ICF walls and a concrete roof. We make sure to add ventilation chases and a strong inward swinging steel door.
BASEMENTS
The first ICF’s were actually designed to be used in basement construction up North. Although basements are less common in our region, we still have many requests to build them. Basement walls are designed to withstand the weight of the backfilled soil. Any wall area that is below grade is required to be waterproofed. In this application ICF provides much better insulation and strength than concrete block.
POOLS RETAINING WALLS / GARAGES / ADDITIONS
Other applications include pools, retaining walls, additions, and hurricane safe garages.
